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2007 Legislative Agenda (cont.)

FY 2008 Funding Request

Student-Based Priorities - $80 million
Improvements necessary for colleges and universities to increase quality of education for students and the higher education system, such as additional full-time faculty, additional researchers, adjunct faculty, professional staff in academic support/student services, library services, graduate assistants and student employees. This includes funding for increases in instructional materials and instructional technology and funding to attract and retain outstanding faculty.

College and University Mandatory Costs - $42.9 million
Such as utilities, employee health insurance, risk management premiums and annualization of partial-year salaries.

Accessibility
The regional universities have developed an adult degree completion program, with assistance from the State Regents, to offer students all over Oklahoma the opportunity to complete their baccalaureate degree beginning this spring. The program is a collaboration among institutions that will utilize distance learning technologies as well as classroom instruction.

The student information portal, www.OKcollegestart.org, will be launched in the spring of 2007. It will provide a single comprehensive, web-based system for prospective and current students that will include online admission applications, college information, career opportunities, financial aid information and ACT student services.

Higher education institutions have cooperative alliance agreements with 26 technology centers. These are voluntary partnerships that increase access to technical college-credit programs for high school and adult students in Oklahoma. In fall 2006, a total of 4,217 students have been reported as enrolled in a total of 35,806 credit hours.

As of the summer 2006 semester, 7,639 high school students earned a total of 32,496 credit hours of college through traditional concurrent enrollment programs.

The State Regents are making a concerted effort to address the growing shortages in Oklahoma's health care workforce by dedicating $4.5 million to institutions offering nursing and allied health care programs. The initiative is expected to annually produce an additional 300 registered nurses, 130 allied health professionals and 15 additional master’s level nursing faculty members.

Oklahoma’s Promise/OHLAP will reach a significant milestone this fiscal year. The total in scholarships awarded since the program’s inception will reach $100 million. The total number of students having received the scholarship will pass 20,000.

The $475 higher education capital bond program was signed into law in March 2005. Eighty-three of the 140 capital infrastructure projects are already in some phase of the construction process.

The State Regents GEAR UP project has implemented its Phase II activities. GEAR UP funding has provided nearly $750,000 in subgrants to 24 Oklahoma public school sites and eight community organizations.